DOE To Settle With 139 Manhattan Project Plaintiffs

Law360, New York (July 13, 2011, 8:37 PM EDT) -- The U.S. Department of Energy has reached an agreement to pay nearly $800,000 to settle with 139 plaintiffs in epic litigation over radioactive contamination at the Washington state outpost of the Manhattan Project, a lawyer confirmed Wednesday.

Each of the 139 settling plaintiffs will get nearly $5,700, minus attorneys' fees that take up 25 percent of the award, said attorney Kevin Van Wart of Kirkland & Ellis LLP, who represents DOE contractors. About 1,350 plaintiffs remain in the suit, which claims radiation from Hanford, one of...